Leading off . . .
>The Washburn Ichabods will have their home opener one week earlier than originally scheduled as games from the 5-State Classic at Emporia State have been moved to Topeka starting Friday beginning a full slate of action at the Washburn Softball Complex.
>Washburn will play six homes games this weekend starting with Minnesota State on Friday at noon followed by Concordia-St. Paul at 2:30 p.m. The games will be the first for the Ichabods on the newly-renovated, fully-turfed field with new fences, batting cages and bullpens.
>On Saturday, the Ichabods will host Maryville at 12:30 p.m. and Minnesota Duluth at 2:30 p.m. and then wrap the weekend up with Sioux Falls at 12:30 p.m. and Wayne State at 2:30 p.m.
>The Ichabods are riding a four-game winning streak after sweeping through Arkansas last weekend.
>After being installed this past summer, the Ichabods now have a completely turfed field with a new fence, batting cages and pitching bullpens.
>The Ichabods have four players returning who earned all-MIAA honors last season in junior pitcher Raegen Hamm, senior utility Winter Henry, senior outfielder Brianna Fuchs and sophomore pitcher Bailey Zuniga. Hamm and Henry were second team all-MIAA selections while Fuchs and Zuniga were tabbed as honorable mention picks.
>The Washburn Ichabod softball team was tabbed in a fourth-place tie in the 2020 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll which was released prior to the start of action.
 
 The weekend that was . . .
>Brianna Fuchs batted .500 with four hits and three runs scored.
>Ashton Friend was batted .500 with four hits and a double.
>Winter Henry had five hits batting .385 with 6 RBI scoring three runs.
>Jenna Moore batted .385 with five hits scoring five runs with a double and a home run driving in a total of four runs.
>Raegen Hamm was 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA with a save and a complete-game shutout striking out 16 over the weekend holding opponents to a .231 batting average.
 
 Opponent Quick Scout . . .
Minnesota State
>The Mavericks are 4-1 this season and have won four straight after a season-opening loss to Northwest Missouri.
>The Ichabods lead the all-time series 11-9.
 
Last Meeting with Minnesota State - 2/16/19
Game 2 - WU 6, Minnesota State 3
The Ichabods scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning rallying for a 6-3 win over Minnesota State on Saturday in the second game of the Conway Classic.
After giving up three runs with two unearned in the top of the first, the game would hold a 3-0 lead until the Ichabods added a solo run in the bottom of the fifth when Washburn scored an unearned run when Winter Henry came around to score.
Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, Washburn scored five runs for the win sending nine batters to the plate. Winter Henry drove in two in the inning and Halle England drove in two more and Brianna Fuchs had an RBI double in the inning.
Bailey Zuniga pitched two innings in scoreless relief striking out two.
 
Concordia-St. Paul
>The Golden Bears are 2-3 this season.
>The Ichabods lead the all-time series 6-5 after winning the last meeting 11-1.
 
Last Meeting with CSP - March 22, 2019
Washburn 11, Concordia-St. Paul 1
After scoring in the top of the first on an RBI single by Moore scoring Fuchs who reached on a fielder's choice pushing out to the 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, the Golden Bears tied the score at 1-1.
Washburn scored twice in the top of the fourth to go up 3-1 on a solo home run by Taylor Kirk and then Emilee Baker hit a single to left scoring Kameron Kissinger who got aboard via a single.
In the top of the seventh, the hit parade was on as the Ichabods scored eight runs in the inning on eight hits leading to the 11-1 win. After Moore walked to lead off the inning, Kirk doubled and then a 3-run homer by Kissinger cleared the bases. After Halle England doubled to right and then moved to third on a CSP error, she would score on an RBI single by Stallbaumer who would score on a single by Fuchs. Moore picked up an RBI scoring Fuchs and then Kirk tripled driving in two runs to wrap up the scoring for the Ichabods.
Bailey Zuniga picked up the win improving to 5-5 on the season pitching her way out of two bases-loaded jams allowing one earned run.
Overall Washburn had 16 hits in the game with five going for extra bases. Stallbaumer and Kirk finished with three hits and both Kirk and Kissinger drove in three each.
 
MARYVILLE
>The Saints are 3-5 this season.
>The Ichabods lead the series 3-0 after topping the Saints on Feb. 15 in Arkansas.
 
Last Meeting with Maryville
Washburn 6, Maryvlle 5
The Ichabods scored all six of their runs in the top of the seventh inning taking advantage of some Saints errors in the come-from-behind win. Washburn finished with four hits but took advantage of the four errors in the win. Jenna Moore had two of Washburn's four hits in the game.
Raegen Hamm pitched six innings in relief striking out eight in the win..
 
Minnesota Duluth
>The Bulldogs are 2-4 this season.
>The Ichabods lead the series 5-3.
>The game will be the first between the two schools since March 29, 2008 with the Ichabods winning 12-4.
 
Last Meeting with Minnesota Duluth
Washburn 12, Minnesota Duluth 4
The Lady Blues scored three runs in the third inning and three in the fourth leading to the 6-5 win over No. 23 ranked Minnesota State. Dani White drove in two runs in the third inning on a single to left and Mandy Tarbutton drove in the other run in the inning. In the fourth inning, Washburn sent nine batters to the plate scoring three runs with an RBI single by Malarie Fellers and a sac fly by White. White finished with three RBI and Fellers was 3 for 4 with an RBI. Whitney Tapp and Brooke DeVader each scored two runs and Tish Williams was intentionally walked twice. Kelly Swygert picked up her second straight win over a ranked opponent scattering six hits allowing three earned runs.
 
Sioux Falls
>The Cougars are 2-2 this season.
>The Ichabods lead the 2-0 and the two teams have not played since March 18, 2016 with the Ichabods winning 5-2.
 
Last Meeting with Sioux Falls
Washburn 5, Sioux Falls 2
The Ichabods (9-12) broke open a scoreless game with five runs in the third inning capped by a three-run homer by Marina Quimby scoring Taylor Zimmerman and Erin Keeney. Zimmerman singled driving in Megan Stegman and Keeney's drive to center scored Cassidy Merriman on an error by the Cougars (14-6).
Sioux Falls added two runs in the seventh but wouldn't get any closer as the Ichabods closed out the win snapping a three-game losing streak.
Ashley Wills went the distance allowing two earned runs striking out four with no walks improving to 4-6 in the circle.
Merriman, Stegman and Quimby each had two hits in the game for Washburn.
 
Wanye State
>Wayne State is 3-3 this season and have won its last two games after sweeping Southwest Baptist on Feb. 17.
>The Ichabods lead the all-time series 20-12.
>The Wildcats won the last meeting 5-0 on Feb. 16 in Arkansas earlier this season.
 
Last Meeting with Wayne State
Wayne State 5, Washburn 0
The Ichabods' Raegen Hamm picked up the complete game shutout as Washburn won its fourth straight game with the 5-0 win over the Wildcats. Hamm scattered six hits in the game striking out five. Washburn got on the board in the third when Jenna Moore drove in two with a double to right field scoring Dutton and Brianna Fuchs. In the fifth, a two-run home run by Friend pushed the lead to 5-0.
 
 Head coach Brenda Holaday . . .
>is 97-77 in her fourth season as the Ichabod head softball coach.
>coached the previous 19 seasons at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka compiling a 351-93 record.
>led the Junior Blues to three 6A state championships as well as winning 14 league championships earning 16 6A state tournament berths, five second-place state finishes and three third-place state finishes and was inducted into the Washburn Rural High School Hall of Fame in 2018.
>was named the Centennial League Coach of the Year and City Coach of the Year nine different times earning the Midwest Sectional Coach of the Year in 2011 and the 6A Kansas Coach of the year two times in 2008 and 2011 and was named the overall Kansas Coach of the Year in 2011.
>while at Washburn Rural, she coached more than 40 players who have gone on to play college softball including three at the NCAA Division I level including former Ichabod head softball coach Lisa Carey, the winningest coach by wins in program history.
 
 Washburn Ichabod softball history . . .
>The Ichabods are 1160-909-1 in their 51st year of softball.
>The Ichabods have made four NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2006, 2008, 2018).
>Washburn won the 2002 and 2018 regular season MIAA titles.
 
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